A Champion Arc
by shadowwhat
Summary: Jaune learns about what it means to be a hunter early on in his life, and decides to put himself to the test. He aspires to follow the Arc family legacy. He will need to learn about the battlefield, his allies, and even his enemy, the Grimm. Read as Jaune dedicates himself to becoming a great hunter... without actually studying how a hunter acts. Or what Aura is. Oh boy, Jaune...
1. Meet Mr Arc

**A/N**

**I've decided to actually USE my fanfiction account for once, and after reading a few stories I liked, I figure I should try to write my own story. the prologue below is something I threw together at about midnight on shift at a local gas station. I came back to it, took it from a measly 100 words, and tried to make the beginning of something that looks like the start of what might be an okay story. Oh, and- **

**I WILL NOT BE UPDATING THIS STORY CONSTANTLY/CONSISTENTLY.**

**That's not saying I won't at least TRY to update, but I am a lazy person, with no real excuse for it.**

**Oh, disclaimer – I own no part of RWBY.**

**Do enjoy.**

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_**Champion**_

Chapter 1: Prologue

**J**aune Arc was a young boy living just outside of Atlas, with seven sisters, his mother and father. Even though it was against his parents wishes, he wanted to become a hunter. His father, his father's father, and so on up the arc family line, have all been great hunters. Maybe not quite legends, like his great great grandfather, but they were loyal, strong, and above all else, valiant. No one usually ever thought of an Arc unless they were thinking about Jaune's own great great grandfather, who helped save an astounding amount of people during the war, and lead his allies in many fights.

He dreamed of carrying on the family tradition, of becoming a renowned huntsman. A man looked up to by faunus and human alike. A man who defeated Grimm, saved women and children, and protected all those he could consider friendly, be they faunus or human. Jaune wanted people to acknowledge him as a great man, and he was willing to give up a good part of his childhood to do so. He knew he couldn't let his parents learn about anything he was planning on doing, so he needed to be extra careful about keeping an alibi and covering his tracks.

He knew he had very few useful talents, something that always bothered him, but he knew he would never make it far as a huntsman without combat skills. He quickly made a list in his head of the few things he could do to make himself better. He needed a more refined education, but the nearest combat school was both too far away, and too expensive for a boy like him to scrounge up. He would need to use the library inside of city limits. His strength was lacking, but he was still far too young to do strenuous exercises that might stunt his growth. He would simply build his stamina and eat better, no matter how gross he thought some of the healthier foods were. Last on his list, but most importantly, in his own opinion, was the knowledge of combat forms, such as swordsmanship,

There were very few people who he could ask to train him, most of which he already knew would deny him, but he could begin his education in a library, possibly even learning about the Grimm themselves. He would need to put large amounts of his free time into it, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He supposed that this type of training and self education might also hurt his academic skills, but he would at least try to keep up. The first person he decided to try to learn from would be one of the patrolling guards, preferably one who wouldn't tell his dad about what he's doing.

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**A/N**

**Please leave me reviews, as I can use them to structure my story in a more reader-friendly way, better my grammar, and could definitely motivate me to write more often. 3**


	2. Determination Meets Education

**A/N**

**Hello, wonderful person that is reading my story, I'm bringing you chapter two, which was a real pain to begin. To give you an idea of how I want my characters to act, I'm going to try to add a chapter with some character fleshing, a little plot development, and heaps of Mr. Jaune Arc himself!**

**Oh and a special thanks to whoever let me know that my story wasn't labeled correctly!**

**Without further ado, here you go!**

**Do enjoy.**

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Chapter Two: Determination meets Education

For all of his self confidence and intelligence, Jaune hadn't actually made a schedule to go by that factored in the times the library would be open, or when the guard would be free. He decided to just wing it. Grabbing his knife and his backpack, he started to go downstairs.

_Maybe I should try to get a good idea on how many books I'll need to read if I want to consider myself a well educated hunter._ Jaune thought to himself.

_But first, I need to get past Mom..._ Jaune's dad had left early that morning, heading to speak with the head of the local guard barracks about where the remaining combat robots should be deployed. Jaune decided to use this chance to head to the library in town, with the excuse of hanging out with some friends and getting some groceries. Of course, he really would pick up some bread and eggs, but he was definitely stopping by the library first.

"Mom, I'm heading into town to see some friends, need anything from the store?" Jaune yelled to the living room for his mom.

"There should be a list on the kitchen counter, if you could get those groceries that would be wonderful!" His mom replied. He quickly swiped the list off the table, and made a beeline for the entry room.

_Now I just need to get out before_-THUD-_oh no_. Jaune made a break for the door, but was easily caught by one of his older sisters, Sarcelle.

"Hey, whoa there little bro, what's up with the rush? Got somewhere important to be?" She asked, leaning against the door to prevent him from escaping.

"I just need to head to the grocery store in town, I'll be back later." He told her, hoping she would just accept it and leave him alone.

"And if I said I wanted to go too?" She asked with a smirk.

"How much do you want." Jaune sighed in defeat. It was the only way anyone knew how to get passed Sarcelle. She was a real sucker for bribery. Especially if the bribe involved pizza.

"Bring me back dinner. Extra large supreme. With bread sticks." She said, returning to her room.

He loved his sisters dearly, but sometimes he couldn't stand them. It was their fault Jaune always acted awkward around them, it's just that their parents began the older girls' training early, because they had an 'aptitude for using their manifested soul' or whatever. Of course, Jaune didn't argue about it, but only because he didn't want to seem like a bratty child. His parents promised to begin his training with the other girls when he turned thirteen, which was how old you needed to be to join a combat school. Simply put, Jaune's parents were teaching the older girls first, and by the time most of the girls finished, he could begin to learn. That's why he wants to take his training into his own hands, because he wanted to become as strong and heroic as he could be, before attempting to join a higher education combat school.

**The Standard Standing Library**

Jaune definitely made a mistake by not planning ahead this time. There was no doubt about it now. He would definitely never make this particular mistake again, if he could help it.

It wasn't because the library was too far away, or because it didn't accept kids under eleven. In fact, the library was right on the same street as the store, although it was closer to Jaune's house. Also, reading was definitely encouraged for the younger generation, if all the books labeled 'Educational' was a sign. There in lies his problem.

There were so many books. Way too many books. In fact, there were two entire six foot by twelve foot shelves. Now, Jaune wasn't slow when came to reading, but unless he truly found it interesting, a book could just as easily be printed in a foreign language. Case in point, he had read and reread the entire X-ray and Vav 1st season comic collection, but barely finished his English project last month. It was a little daunting to be honest, looking at what must have been hundreds of books, all of them having some new piece of information to learn.

Deciding that he had been idle for long enough, Jaune hopped up to the shelf, and grabbed the first three books that caught his eye. After checking the titles and subjects, Jaune was very satisfied with his choices. The first was written on the subject of low threat Grimm, such as Boarbatusks and beowolves, under the title of "Knowing Your Enemy, Volume One". The second, "Empowering Your Soul", was a book about increasing the potential of the physical manifestation of the hunters soul, whatever that meant, was full of techniques. Finally, the third, and Jaune's unofficial favorite, "Grimm Combat Basics", a training guide outlining the basics of close combat with the Grimm.

Grabbing his books and checking them out at the front desk, Jaune decided to stop by a dust shop he had noticed earlier, located near the library, which was said to be ran by a pretty friendly owner. Jaune supposed he needed to brush up on his Dust education as well, and what better place to do it than a Dust shop?

**Dusty's Crystal Collection**

After setting foot through the door, Jaune noticed that the store was almost completely devoid of any Schnee Dust Company logos/merchandise, meaning that this store was most likely locally supplied, which was pretty rare with the size and influence of the SDC. Behind the counter was a well-built, if older, gentleman. The man was wearing a simple uniform, with the stores logo over his heart. On the walls were sales, advertisements, and information about dust.

Seeing a potential customer looking around his shop and confusion, the clerk decided to introduce himself, and see if Jaune had any specific needs. The boy may have seemed a little too young to be in a Dust shop, but as long as he was careful and polite, Dusty wouldn't care.

"Hello, and welcome to my humble dust shop, my name is Dusty, may I ask what brings you around here? Most people go to the SDC Market down the street..." Dusty trailed off, wondering why Jaune had come to his store.

"Oh, I'm just browsing, I don't really know much about dust, just that its very powerful. My name is Jaune, by the way." Jaune replied, now walking through the aisles, looking through magazines and merchandise. He spotted a couple of cool looking bullets lined up on a shelf, all of which were priced at twice Jaune's allowance.

"I believe I have just the thing you need then, boy... Aha! Here you go, a book about the basics of dust, free of charge." The old man said politely, holding out a book for Jaune.

"Thank you very much, sir. I'm sorry but I need to get to the store soon, so I must leave." Jaune said, wishing he could look around the store more.

"That's fine, wouldn't want to worry your parents too much. Well, get going then, it was a pleasure speaking with you." Dusty said his farewells.

**Forest Near Arc Family Home**

Jaune quickly ran to the store, gathering and buying the items off his mom's list. After the store he stopped by a pizza joint in town, for his sister. As he sprinted down the path to his home, he thought about which patrolling guard he could get to secretly train him. Of course, almost every guard was guaranteed to tell his dad about what he was trying to do. All Jaune really needed was someone to train him in secret, so he could be prepared for combat school.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he almost missed the growling coming from the trees ahead. Suddenly coming to a stop, Jaune drew a dagger he kept in his jacket to defend himself, never actually believing he would need it. He took a loose stance he saw his sisters use when they first began training, before they stopped training near the house. He knew that if the Grimm attacked him, he would be no match, but he opted to try to intimidate the beast into leaving.

As if waiting for Jaune to make a move, the entire path became deafeningly silent. Sensing danger at the last second, he dived to the side of the path, barely dodging the razor sharp claws of a juvenile beowolf. He quickly stood up and prepared himself again, keeping a careful eye on his opponent. They began to shuffle, Jaune trying to keep focused on his enemy, as the beowolf tried to get between its prey and their safety. He didn't have to wait long for the beowolf to jump forward, but because he had hyper focused on the enemy's actions, he didn't notice the pothole beside him until he lost his balance from stepping into it. He raised his arm wielding the knife to cut the Grimm, but over swung when the beast jumped backwards.

Falling backwards as the beowolf pounced on him was Jaune's last memory before he blacked out.

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**A/N**

**Well, that about finishes Jaune's childhood, but I still wanna put in some time for his family. Oh, and Jaune is NOT neglected in this story, or at least, he isn't singled out by the family. If anyone could give me some more tips/ideas for Jaune's combat styles/weapons? So far I'm giving him Crocea Mors, and a dust bow that will be named later. **

**Please send me some reviews! **


	3. Preparations

**A/N**

**Hello everyone! I'm just a little late.**

**I've been slowly adding more and more information to the story, so I apologize if it seems a little… rushed at first. I promise my chapters will get longer, I'm honestly a little disappointed in myself for writing such short chapters. **

**I seem to have forgotten to add a few descriptions for his sisters… not on purpose, of course, it's not like I couldn't find any names for the rainb- Arc family.**

**I have not decided on a pairing yet, and it might be a short while before I do, but in the meantime, I would like everyone to give me recommendations for who to put together. Of course, romance isn't exactly a big part of this story right now, and it may not ever be.**

**I'm writing this story as I think of each scene, or 'flying by the seat of my pants', so I apologize in advance. If you see any plot holes, please tell me immediately, so that I can fix them.**

**I apologize for how long this took compared to the others, I just couldn't stop rewriting this chapter!**

**Do enjoy.**

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Chapter Three: Preparing and Learning

**Arc Family Home**

Jaune woke up slowly, mildly confused, and sore. Glancing around the dull white room he woke up in. He glanced at the posters and pictures hung up everywhere, some of which showed a large, loving family, all scrunched up around one couch. It took him a few minutes to recognize the room, which was one that he shared with two of his sisters, Rouille and Verte. It was the second largest room in the house, the largest being used by the four older sisters. There were hooks on the wall for coats, jackets, hats and other, sharper items.

Jaune looked over to see his sisters still sleeping, with Verte drooling on everything, and Rouille looking as if she was dead. It was always easy to tell the sisters apart, aside from their age differences. Everyone had different colored hair. Well except for the twins, and Lilas had similar hair color to Violetta. All seven daughters of the arc family were tall, like the case of five feet, eleven inches Sarcelle, or growing to be tall, like Rouille, who stood at a much shorter five feet and two inches. The girls really liked to style everything they owned by their favorite color, like Sarcelle's blue necklace, and Verte's green earrings. He never really put much thought into getting himself luxuries, especially now that he trains so often. He was determined to better himself, to never again lose to a Grimm.

It had nearly been a year since Jaune's first Grimm encounter, and he supposed it was a win-lose situation. On the winning side of things, his parents decided to immediately begin his training. The losing side, on the other hand, was a very steep cost to Jaune's self training time. Every day of the week, until Jules Arc decided his son was strong enough, Jaune would be followed by one of his sisters. It wouldn't have been as bad as it sounded at first, but the girls had panicked when they saw their little brother bleeding out on the ground, and now they used that image to motivate themselves and make sure Jaune was never alone for more than a few minutes.

Jaune's own father, Jules Arc, was the one to bury his blade deep into the beowolf attacking his son. He remained calm and collected on the outside, but he had been panicking on the inside, seeing his son in a puddle of blood. He decided at that exact moment, with his ancestors as witnesses, that he'd teach Jaune to defend himself.

When it came to training, Jules decided to structure it around speed and defense first, having Jaune run quick sprints, and chop through different sections of a large tree trunk to get him used to swinging a sword and striking through thick Grimm. Of course, at least for the first month, Jaune was actually tired and sore from the training he was going through, but he adapted to it much faster than his father had planned for. While this might seem like a good thing, his parents refused to speed up his training schedule, and he wasn't seeing any improvement.

It took a lot of favors, blackmail, and bribes, but Jaune was able to... acquire some free time. It wasn't long before he began to use that time efficiently. He read nearly every book about hunters in the library, even the history! Well... actually it was mostly history, in fact, half of the books he read was about some event in Remnant history. He learned about the war fought over Faunus Rights, he learned about the politics and ceremonies that the kingdoms flaunted, he even read about the attempts to train Grimm for circus shows!

People are weird.

He convinced Verte to buy him arm and leg weights to make himself stronger and faster, but she was the only one who could adjust how heavy they were, using her 'semblance', whatever that meant. Jaune had heard of that word before, but he assumed it was unimportant. He read somewhere that having a semblance was unique, or something like that. It wasn't fair! He wanted super powers too!

After poking around, Jaune learned that all of his sisters had a semblance, like Verte's resistance, or Sarcelle's apparent ability to disappear, which was totally unfair. At least she didn't have enough energy to keep up the invisibility long, just a few seconds at a time, which would be very effective in a fight. Not to mention all the girls got personal weapons from their Grandpa, Jean Arc, a Professional Weapon Designer. Sarcelle especially loved to show off her weaponized gloves, Reap and Sew. They were both white gloves with an identical blue dust stitching. The only difference between them was Reap's long, blade-like nails versus Sew's pointed claws. They were imbued with a mix of dust that, when active, made them super tough to damage.

Jules told his son that he was only being trained to defend from the Grimm, not to hunt them. While he couldn't keep the four older siblings from becoming huntresses, seeing as they were already applying to their secondary schools, and he couldn't pull the two younger sisters out of their classes, as they were receiving excellent grades, he could keep Jaune from trying to attend a beginner school. Of course, Jaune wasn't actually going to follow that unspoken command. It was his dream, his self given mission, to help people and hunt Grimm. He respected his parents' wishes and all, but he wasn't going to let them control his entire life. Of course, he had a whole year before he could try to join a combat school, and he was confident that by the time he applied, he would be ready to prove himself to his parents and sisters.

Believing that he had spent enough time in bed, Jaune climbed out slowly, trying not to wake up his sisters. Today was the day Sarcelle had promised to teach him how to erase his presence and be sneaky, and he was anxious to start this type of training, since Sarcelle was leaving in a few months. While Jaune didn't know how she was going to train him, he had a feeling it involved invisibility and humiliation.

**Clearing Near Arc House**

It was official, Jaune hated his oldest sister's semblance. At first, it was just a friendly little spar, fist against fist, to see how far he had come along. After all, all the stealth in the world won't help him if he's slow and weak. With the extreme amount of strength and speed training Jaune received, he was able to surprise Sarcelle a couple of times, but she quickly showed him the perk of being the eldest sibling: experience. Jaune might have been stronger that his sister, but she was faster and had leagues of experience to hold over his head. It wasn't until the third beating that he realized what she was trying to teach him.

"Jaune, a piece of advice, dodge this." Sarcelle stated calmly, sounding as if she was surrounding Jaune. He immediately took evasive maneuvers, in the form of diving to the side and covering himself. He heard some giggling, but he knew if he relaxed she might actually hurt him.

_Where could she be attacking from?_ Jaune thought to himself. He felt a tingle in his gut and went with the natural human reaction – jumping six feet, vertically. He looked down to see her bladed glove, Reap, piercing the air where his head was just at.

"Hey!" He shouted, both afraid and angry. "I thought you said you weren't going to use your weapons!" She HAD promised not to kill him with them, but she never actually specified whether or not she would use them.

"Oh suck it up, Jaune, you're finally learning something!" She yelled back, face full of glee as she jumped up and attempted to bisect her brother.

"What good does that do me if I'm bleeding to-" Jaune began to rant, but rolled backwards to dodge a familiar looking clawed glove. He thought he felt a slight disturbance right before he moved. "Seriously, are you trying to kill me right now!?"

As he stood back up from his roll, Sarcelle appeared in front of him, her fist barely missing his body as he twisted to the side. Unfortunately, this left him open to a kick in the gut that left him rasping on the ground.

"I thought you were going to teach me how to be sneaky, not just bringing me out here to mutilate me." Jaune said, glaring at his sister.

"And how exactly do you plan on being sneaky if you can't notice others?" She smugly asked, pointing out the lesson she has been beating into him. He had guessed it towards the beginning of the fight, but became a little suspicious when he saw her so happy to be fighting him.

_I suppose she's right, in a way._ Not that he would ever tell her so. She had a really bad habit of being full of herself, especially when she received any form of praise.

"Yeah? Well now that I can notice you during a fight, why can't I move on to actually being sneaky?" Jaune asked impatiently, slightly pissed off that she didn't tell him the point of their fight until after it was over.

"Oh, you can tell where I am? Fine then, just block my next punch and I'll teach you how to be skillfully stealthy." She challenged with a grin, taking off her gloves. She decided she was going to turn invisible, knock Jaune out, and then take some humiliating pictures.

"Easy enough, go ahead and attack whenever." Jaune taunted, taking a second to clear his thoughts and focus on where his sister was standing. It was a little strange, but he swore he could... feel his sister. That sounded wrong, he just meant that he knew she was behind him, drawing her fist back.

Oh shit.

He barely spun around in time to put up a half-assed guard that pushed Sarcelle's hand off to the side of his face. The look on her face when she realized he had actually defended himself from her attack was priceless. She was stunned far beyond disbelief. She had turned invisible and made no noise while moving around him downwind, which should have left him completely open to attack. She couldn't understand how he had know to spin around and block his face.

"Jaune... how did you do that?" She asked, stunned by her little brothers show of skill.

"I could just feel your presence, I guess. That's the easiest way to say it. It was hard to focus on, but as soon as I did, I could see you clearly." He replied, wording it the best way he knew how.

"We are definitely going to find out what that was later, but for now, lets teach you how to stalk your prey." Sarcelle said, with a sadistic smirk.

"I regret everything." Jaune replied solemnly, staring at his feet. Through out the next few weeks, cries of agony and shame could be heard all throughout the forest.

**Arc Family Home**

**(Three Months Later)**

Jaune sat on the porch with his mom and five of his sisters as they all watched Jules Arc drive off with Sarcelle and Lilas, the two oldest sisters. They had both been admitted into Beacon Academy in Vale, so they would need to live in the dorms, since they lived in a different kingdom. For the most part, everyone was sad to see the girls go, but they knew that the girls would receive the best training they could in Vale.

Jaune didn't want to admit it, but he had been waiting for this moment to head up to his grandfather's house, to get a custom weapon. Every single one of his sisters had gone to Jeans Sharp Stuff to get a weapon made. He had to plan and wait, watching for his best chance to sneak away. The girls didn't even think twice when they saw Jaune walk through the living room, not realizing that he was heading to the back door. As soon as his feet touched the dirt path behind the house, Jaune took off towards his grandfather's house. He made it in a few minutes, knocking on the front door before entering. He didn't bother worrying about telling his grandpa a lie, because Jean Arc always knew. It was like he could predict the future or something, and after hearing about what a semblance could do, he believed it.

"Hey grampa, you home?" Jaune called out, hoping to get this done quickly.

"Yes, I'm in the living room with Chance!" Jean called out sounding distracted, most likely teaching Chance some new words in sign language.

Chance was a cute little rabbit faunus, staying with Jean Arc until she could find her older sister. The problem with that is only Chance knew what she looked like. Jaune had found her wandering through the woods, obviously lost, but when he approached her, she tried to run. She didn't make it far, because her leg was broken. Jaune had done the first thing that came to his mind, and went to his grandpa for help. When Jean saw the poor little girl crying, he took her in immediately, but soon found out she couldn't speak, whether it was because of a physical or mental trauma, didn't matter. At the very beginning, she had to write all her words to the two Arc family members. Jean set out to teach her some sign language, and even gave her a new name when he found out she couldn't remember her own. He had sent his grandson into town to see if anyone knew who Chances real family was, and where they might be, but no one in the town had given any clue. That day Jaune learned about the prejudice and racism abundant throughout Atlas, and more likely than not, the Human race.

Jean had healed Chance up quickly, and then put her to sleep using some medicine. When she woke up the next day, Jaune promised to help her in any way he could, no matter what he had to do. After a few weeks, Chance became attached to Jaune, and always followed him around when she wasn't learning anything. She loved to hear about his stories and the things he had seen in town, because she was too afraid to go into town herself, fearing what everyone might do to hurt her. Eventually Jaune would find her sister, and then her family, and finally, she could go home.

Jaune came around the corner to get body tackled by a three foot tall little girl in a brown dress. She was giggling like crazy, and making cute little excited noises in her throat, showing just how happy she was to find her 'big brother'. She had used that nickname for him ever since she learned how to do it.

"Chance, Don't jump on people. Jaune, I suppose you want a weapon? well there's a few on the back porch, pick one of them. Don't take too much time, your mother is going to be checking in on you in about half an hour." Jean said, all in the same matter-of-fact tone.

_Un-freaking-canny._ Jaune thought to himself, wondering what else his grandpa might know that he shouldn't. Of course, Jaune really wanted to get home before he could get caught, so he really needed to hurry.

"I'll come back to visit you latter Chance, I promise!" He shouted, already halfway out the door to the back porch. He barely caught a glimpse of Chances hopeful face before he had to face forward and pick his new weapon. He had three choices sitting on a table in front of him, and not very long to make them. He could see a pair of short, black, mean-looking, serrated daggers, gleaming with a fresh shine. Beside them was a long spear, that could transform into a staff. The final item on the table was a little white cylinder. After glancing at the weapons Jaune knew what his grandfather was doing. The daggers, while small enough to sneak past his mom, would be far too small and take way too much time for Jaune to learn how to use adequately against the Grimm, or other foes. The spear, easy to use, and versatile, especially in its staff form, was way too big for Jaune to sneak into his house and past his mom and sisters. That left the third weapon. At barely a foot tall, and a little over an inch thick, it would be the easiest to sneak in, but what kind of weapon was it!? He supposed he would find out, and grabbed the little rod by the middle. As he lifted the rod and put it in his backpack, Jaune heard his grandpa yell a short goodbye, which he returned. He decided to sprint home and tell his sisters the truth, or at least part of it.

**Jaune/Verte/Rouille's Room**

Jaune thanked his lucky stars he got home when he did, merely minutes before his mom came to check up on him. He had quickly thrown his backpack into his closet, shut the door, and jumped on his bed. After a quick assurance to his sisters that he would tell them where he was after their mother left, everyone in the room decided to pick something to make themselves look busy.

"Jaune, Ve, Rou, you three okay in here?" asked Joan arc, as she walked into the room. She was a tall, blue haired woman, who seemed to have an affinity for the color pink. She carefully scanned the room, and noticed Jaune and Verte playing a game of chess, while Rouille was reading one of her favorite books.

"Okay, so who did what, and why are you trying to hide it from me?" She spoke again, this time asking a question. She looked over as Verte looked away from her game.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" She asked, wondering if their cover had been blown. She knew no one in the house liked playing Jaune in chess, ever since he started winning most of the matches about a year ago. She figured she could use the excuse of trying to learn how to play chess better if that's what her mom thought the problem was.

"Well first, Jaune is still wearing his muddy shoes from running across the path, and second, Rouille was reading that book earlier today… and she was almost finished with it." Her mom deadpanned.

"Ack, I just forgot to take my shoes off, I'll clean up any messes I made, sorry Mom." Jaune said, flipping over and taking off his shoes. He quickly set out to clean the carpet areas where he tracked dirt, while Rouille though a mile a minute for a convincing excuse.

"I just wanted to see how badly Jaune would beat Verte, I wasn't really reading the book." Rouille half fibbed, putting her book away.

"Oh, well I've got my eye on you three, but I suppose I might just be a little paranoid since your sisters left. Sorry kids, you can get back to your game." Joan said, leaving the room and closing the door.

"Okay, I almost got in serious trouble for you, Jaune, so what's in the bag? Hurry up, before mom comes back and realizes Ve put her pieces in the wrong order." Rouille said after a minute of waiting.

"Yes Rou, just give me a second to get it. I went over to grandpas house to pick up a weapon, so that I could begin training with it immediately." Jaune told them as he leaned into the closet.

"Oh Oh, what kind of weapon did you get? A sword? A spear? or maybe a rocket launcher!?" Verte said, suddenly extremely excited at seeing what weapon Jaune was given.

"No, nothing that large could fit in his backpack, you ditz." Rouille said, sighing at how thoughtless her sister was sometimes. _In all fairness,_ Rouille thought, _With the way Gramps builds these things, he could probably make a compact Rocket Launcher, but the ammo would still be too big._ Nodding to herself, Rouille refocused on Jaune when he pulled… a rod from his backpack.

"Hand it over, let me see it!" Verte said Jumping on her brothers back, and grabbing his new weapon. After shaking it around a bit, she was able to make out a sound inside of the rod, a click, which turned into a whoosh when two bars extended from the rod, making it three feet in length, and a string pulled itself taunt.

"Well, it isn't a rocket launcher, but it's still kinda cool. Do you have any arrows for it?" Verte asked, handing the short bow to Jaune.

"Well, no, actually, I didn't even see a quiver on the table. Aw man, now I'm going to have to sneak out tomorrow and-oof!" Jaune began to deflate, realizing he must have missed the quiver, when he was suddenly hit by a little white box, with a note taped to it.

"Jaune, pay more attention next time, and be sure to come around here sometime near the winter, I'll have a gift waiting for you. Be careful, and treat Fulmen like a family member." Jaune read out what was written.

"So this would be your quiver, then." Rouille said, slowly drawing an arrow out of the box.

"I guess I'll need to practice archery in the mornings when I used to train with Elle." Jaune said, finally managing to sheath the bow, and place it back in his backpack, along with the quiver he took from Rouille. He had a real hunters weapon now, and he would be damned if he let any time go to waste when he could be learning new things, or how to better himself.

* * *

**A/N**

**Yes! Chapter (finally) complete! Now to… start… the next one.**

**Oh well.**

**So was it good? Did you like it? Tell me what you liked!**

**Was it bad? Did you hate it? Tell me what you hated!**

**THROW ME A BONE HERE, PEEPS.**

**I need your advice and thoughts, and I crave more reviews!**


	4. Leaving the Nest

**A/N**

**Wow! I just love the reviews, and don't worry, Jaune will get Crocea Mors, and he won't be Dust-incompetent. I've got an idea for the sword and shield/sheath that I hope you'll like.**

**Jaune Arc does NOT currently have a way to use Dust (his Aura is still locked). If you've noticed, he still has no idea what Aura is, and he currently believes that it is rare to have a semblance.**

**Silly knight.**

**Jaune has a classic canon appearance, he won't change drastically unless he gets a good reason to change.**

**I do have another story idea, or three, but I will write and edit them AFTER I write and edit these chapters.**

**Oh god that Arc/Archer pun... didn't even think of it. **

**I am, and have been sick, but it is slowly getting worse, so chapters might come even later. Sorry :/**

**I think I've used enough space up for random subjects, on to the story!**

**Do enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Leaving the Nest

**Woods Near Arc Family Home**

"You need to focus Jaune. Stay calm and steady your shot." A soft, feminine voice spoke from the woods, followed by a green blur rushing after a gray-white shape.

"I would love to stay calm and focused, Ve. Although I've got to say, it would be much easier if you weren't CHASING ME WITH A FUCKING SPEAR!" The gray shape shouted to the green. Jaune was apparently running from a highly deadly, extremely fast, and madly grinning Verte, who had lowered air resistance on her weapon using her semblance.

"The Grimm aren't going to stand around waiting for you, stupid. At least I gave you a warning, a beowolf would have just killed you!" Verte responded, her efforts to make a Jaune-kabob redoubled.

"Saying 'Hey Jaune, guess what?' Before impaling my bed is NOT a valid way to warn someone! You almost killed me! Thank god Rou's semblance increases her reaction speed." Jaune panted, before taking aim and barely hitting the target tree on the opposite end of the clearing.

"Aww, the fun's over already?" Verte said, sad that Jaune was able to escape her and hit the target.

"Well I suppose we can start again next week, since I've only got a month left until I take the test." Jaune said, hoping to cheer Verte up. Unfortunately, all he managed to do was remind Verte that he would be leaving home to try to make a living in Vale. She was hoping he would stay at home while the girls tried to convince their dad to let him join the combat school in Atlas, but Jules Arc had no idea Jaune even had a weapon to go with.

"Let's get back to the house, Ve. Dad should be getting up about now, and it's time for us to train. Jaune, isn't grandpa expecting you right now?" Rouille said, looking at the sky, trying to judge how much time had passed.

"Yeah, I suppose he is. Well, I'd better get going, before Chance tries to kill gramps with food poisoning." Jaune said, resting against the tree he had been shooting at since the early morning. It was nearing midday, and the girls would be training their area or something. Maybe the area they could use their semblance? It didn't matter to Jaune though, as he had no semblance.

**Jean Arc's Home**

Just walking up to the house, Jaune could hear fists smacking off wood. He knew that Chance was a prodigy when it came to unarmed combat, but hearing the creaks and groans the wood was making had Jaune rethinking any idea of pissing the little bunny-eared girl off anytime soon. Reaching the door, he heard the wood finally give with a loud snap. Taking back his previous mental note, he replaced the 'soon' with an 'ever'. That little girl was scary.

"Jaune is here, you may greet him." No sooner had Jean uttered that sentence than Chance had body tackled Jaune to the floor, most likely bruising his ribs. Chuckling at the sight, he waited for Chance to give his grandson the sweet mercy of air.

Finally managing to pry Chance off himself, Jaune relished the sweet and cool midday air. Deciding to prepare himself better next time, he slowly pushed up from the ground, wary of Chance, lest she kill him by suffocation. Finally looking at his grandpa, and seeing the man's smirk, Jaune decided to get even.

"Hey Chance, wanna help me cook tonight? You can make the main course!" Jean's face could pass for the reaper itself, and Jaune loved every second of it.

Chance shook her head furiously, before pointing at Jaune. She had found out that the blond haired boy, living with his sisters, had to help his mother cook, as everyone else was just too tired or grouchy. That's not to say his sisters couldn't cook, but they would rather make him do it. Much less work for them, that way.

"Yes, Jaune's lunches are wonderful, so let's not disturb him while he cooks. Oh, and before I forget, we will be doing a traditional Arc pastime after lunch, so try not to each too much, Jaune." Jean said, heading into the back as if to retrieve something.

"Alright, Chance, what am I cooking today?" He asked, already having a general idea of what she wanted.

Chance excitedly vibrated across the floor, grabbing seemingly random ingredients. After sorting through everything he had been handed, Jaune was able to put together an improvised recipe for soup that (hopefully) wouldn't kill anyone.

**One Hour Later**

The soup, while not the tastiest (and certainly not the healthiest), was pretty good. Jaune outdid himself trying to make do with the ingredients he was given. While he contemplated how he could have improved the meal, his grandfather slowly got up, catching his attention with a gesture. Jaune began following Jean out of the kitchen, and then on through the house, to the back yard.

"I suppose it's time we get down to business. There's a shield and a sword sitting on the table over by the workshop. Grab them, and familiarize yourself with them." Jean said while waving his hand towards the shop.

Coming closer to the sword, Jaune thought it looked familiar. Arriving at the table, he knew he had seen it before. Picking up the sword, he realized what it was. The metal of the sword was polished, and Jaune could have sworn it's edge cut the light glinting off from the slowly setting sun. The grip was tailored with blue cloth and leather, while the guard was made out of a dense, bronze-like material. The shield, at first appearing to be a simple heater model with gold trim, had visible lines where Jaune knew little pieces of complicated machinery would allow it to transform between shield and sheath.

"Crocea Mors..." Jaune spoke reverently. The invincible shield and the sword that can cut through anything, if the old stories had any truth to them. There were fairy tales, fantasy stories, and even children's books dedicated to the sword.

"I'm giving you the family sword, should you choose to use another weapon instead, I only ask that you pass Crocea Mors on to your own child, or to one of your sisters." Jean said, standing with his back straight and his chin held high.

"I have another gift for you, but it won't be ready for at least a month, so it will be awhile before you can see it." He added.

"So, did you want me to start training with this sword?" Jaune asked, worried about how much time it would take to train his sword skills.

"While I will be training you, it won't be lessons geared towards being skillful. I'm going to teach you how to survive when fighting against a superior opponent." The old man said, drawing a long sword from a sheath buried under a few layers of grass.

"Meet my oldest friend, my weapon from the war. A piece of deadly art, crafted to take a life." He spoke slowly, and fondly.

"What's it's name?" Jaune asked, admiring the carefully constructed sword, obviously recently cleaned and sharpened.

"Nothing made to take a life should be personified, Jaune. There is no need for it to be remembered, lest it be remembered in blood." The boy took a second look at the weapon. The guard is a simple oval, the grip from a classic hand-and-a-half design, and the blade was jagged and very long, _about five feet_, he assumed.

"Then why does Crocea Mors have a name? It was used in both wars, and it was made to kill, wasn't it?" Jaune asked, confusion on his face.

"You see, Jaune, Crocea Mors was never meant to be used as it was in the war. Crocea was meant to be a symbol for the light. The sight of the sword and shield, while admittedly intimidating, was a sign of hope to the people. Crocea was built to kill Grimm, not humans, nor Faunus. During the wars… well, things happened, and to defend his family, your great great grandfather needed to spill blood." Jean answered, sorrow on his face.

"Enough, this is not a history lesson, get into position Jaune, it's time to fight for your life." Focusing in on his target, Jean slowly positioned his blade behind himself. Breathing deeply, he glanced over Jaune's stance, and thought about it critically. Legs shoulder width apart, good. Shield off to the side, prepared to swing in, most likely to off balance him after his swing, even better. Sword was held at an awkward angle, far too close to himself to be safe, but he would learn that soon enough. Shoulders stiff but prepared, head raised, eyes focused on his own, perfect.

_It almost looks like… aha! little brat is copying his father!_ Jean thought, amused. _Alright then, Jaune Arc, lets see how well you fight!_ With a final, calming breath, Jean jumped towards his grandson, swinging his blade using full-body momentum. Jaune braced his legs, turned his body, and prepared to hold back his new teachers sword. Collision, Jaune's stance doesn't hold very well after contact, knocking him backwards, but he picks up his legs and uses the momentum to back flip, bringing his shield up as soon as he can. Looking over the top of his shield, he could see his grandfather preparing for another swing. Checking over himself, he realized he couldn't take many more hits like that, feeling his forearm going numb from just the first swing.

Deciding to take the initiative, and catching Jaune off guard, Jean charged again, this time stopping early, just a few feet away from Jaune. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, Jaune prepared to roll away from his attacker, and quickly brought his sword in front of him to roll. Jean, having seen exactly what he was waiting for, brought his full body into a kick aimed at Jaune's shield, knocking his blade into his face, leaving a long cut across his cheek. Jaune lost his balance, slipping onto his back. Looking towards the sky he saw the flash of a long sword and then nothing.

Jean looked at Jaune, and checked his condition, chuckling at the fear frozen on his grandsons face. He would wake up later, wondering if he was alive, but until then, Jean had to make sure Chance knew Jaune was okay. As he began to walk away, he heard the sound of coughing behind him. Surprised, he turned around, watching as Jaune slowly rose to a knee, taking deep breaths.

_This kid is going to be a bloody nightmare when he unlocks his Aura._ Jean chuckled, admiring his grandsons will to be better, no matter what it would cost him. It was a sad fact, but no men in the Arc family could unlock their own Aura until they reached a form of inner peace. While this was a heavy cost, it came with an equally beneficial reward, most often being an extremely vast supply of Aura.

"Rest and relax, We'll begin training again tomorrow." Jean said, shooing Jaune away with his hands. He supposed he would need to up the ante in Jaune's training, so that he could adapt against most opponents. That was a matter for another time, in any case, he needed to check up on Chance, maybe show her some new weak points on the human body. This little girl was going to be a terrifying fighter when she grew up, but until then, training was going to be her main focus.

**Arc Family Home**

He should have known something was wrong. He noticed the back door was still unlocked, and when he got inside, his senses told him something was different. He couldn't hear ANY of his sisters, even though only Verte and Rouille should be training right now. He couldn't smell anything from the kitchen, and, glancing at the clock, he could only wonder when his mother was going to make breakfast. Sneaking upstairs, he could hear mumbled conversation between a couple of girls. Opening the door to his room, he was met with a very imposing sight. His father, Jules Arc, wearing full body plate armor, carrying Munio, a large kite shield on his back. Noceo, his spear, was sitting on his lap. His eyes showed no anger, and his body seemed relaxed.

"Now, Jaune, it has come to my attention that you are training to be hunter. Is this true?"

"Yes." There was no lying to Jules Arc, ever.

"And you've been training with your sisters behind my back?"

"Yes."

"Your punishment depends on your answer to my next question. Why do you want to become a hunter?" It seems like this was the most important question, as Jules eyes seemed to sharpen, and he sat a little more tense.

"I want to help people, I want to kill the Grimm so everyone can finally have a good night's sleep without worrying about if the wall will still be standing when they wake up. I want to stop the blatant racism that seems to run rampant through the kingdoms. I want to save lives, to protect the innocent. I want to be strong so that others don't have to." Jaune gave his answer barely moments after being asked. He had thought and wondered to himself every night trying to find an answer this very question.

Apparently seeing this response as the best one he would get, Jules Arc rose from the bed. Standing a full two feet over his son, he peered down at the boy. A contemplative look came over his face, showing that he was weighing the pros and cons of his next decision.

"Jaune, I am very happy with your answer, and even though it is dangerous, I'm going to let you become a hunter. There is a slight problem though. We can't send you to a combat school, because your Aura is still locked." Jules Arc began, choosing to follow through with his unspoken decision to help his son.

"Wait wait wait," Jaune began, startled by what his father was saying, "what do you mean, 'still locked', what the heck IS Aura, anyway?"

"Hahahaha! 'What is Aura' whoo, good one, son!" Jules laughed, until he noticed the deadpan look his son was giving him.

"Oh my god you really don't know. Didn't your sisters tell you about it? I mean, they knew it was going to be locked for a long time, but... I mean, nothing?" He asked, disbelief covering every feature on his face.

"Not a word. Wait, does this mean I have a semblance too? I always wanted to have super powers!" Jaune cheered, oblivious to the slowly mounting confusion on his father's face.

"Jaune... everyone has a semblance. It exists along with your Aura, residing in the energy of your manifested soul." Jules face seemed to have become stuck between confusion and anger.

"Well, I read about the soul thingy somewhere, but I can't remember the name of the book..." Jaune was slowly inching himself to the door.

"Hahh... it's not important right now. Jaune Arc, would you like to become a hunter? I might have a way for you to train... but it will be extremely difficult. You... might not make it, but I owe it to you to let you know about this. There is a small hole by your grandfather's house. If, and only IF, you accept, I will show you the entrance." Jules finally said, sighing softly to himself, and looking into his son's eyes.

With a determined nod to himself, Jaune carefully decided on his next plan of action, but first, he had a few questions.

"What's inside the hole? What reason would I have to go in it? Why don't I like the sound of this training?"

"I can't tell you what's in the hole, but I guarantee it will help you become a better hunter. To answer your third question... the last person to go through the hole and be found again was your grandfather, Jean." Jules answered the questions in the order they were asked.

"If it helps me become a better hunter, I'll do it. How long will it take?" Jaune asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"You'll be gone for at least two years. I'll tell your sisters you went off to train in Vale, since that's what you already had planned. Your mother already knows what we are talking about up here. You'll head into the hole in about a month. That should give you enough time to train with my father." Jules informed Jaune, still making plans on how to keep his daughters out of the loop.

**One Month Later**

**Jean Arc's Home**

The noise of a powerful sword being used to bludgeon a shield could be heard in the early hours of the morning. Jean Arc could be seen cutting away at his grandson, attempting to cause bodily harm. Jaune was doing his best to keep himself healthy by dodging and defending against the onslaught.

Ducking and rolling into a kneeling position, Jaune took a deep breath and watched his grandfather's movement's, trying to get the timing of his swings. Deciding he knew what he needed, Jaune charged towards his opponent, just as they breathed in to swing their sword. Seeing this, he leapt forward, catching his target off guard and bashing his sword out of his hand.

"Point, Jaune. That makes it 1 win, 26 draws, and I lost track of how many loses. Go Jaune!" Verte cheered from the porch, sitting in between Rouille and Chance. Rouille clapped while Chance moved around, obviously pleased by Jaune winning.

"Well Jaune, it's time to head off, I'll let you say goodbye to your sisters." Jules said, walking up from behind three girls. He was sad knowing this was the last day he would see his son for awhile, but he had no choice, as Jaune chose to go on this self given quest.

"Uh, hey Violette, Cerise, Rouge, what's up? eheh…" Jaune chuckled, backing away from the new arrivals. Terrified of his sisters, he doesn't notice when Verte and Rouille walk up behind him. Grabbing their brother by his arms, they drag him up to the rest of their sisters. Throwing him onto the ground in the middle of a hastily made circle, the girls assume waiting positions.

"So, when were you going to tell us about you trying to leave?" began Cerise, obviously pissed Jaune hadn't told his older sisters about his plans. Not actually expecting an answer, she nodded to her twin sister Rouge, as they both pulled back their hands, and swung at Jaune. Since Jaune had been training all day with an admittedly sadistic teacher, and because his fight or flight instincts were on edge, he rolled under their hands, not realizing he was rolling to Violette, until he hit Temptation, her high impact rifle with a sword built into the stock. Temptation had a standard long barrel with an attached scope, a stock that went nearly to the end of the barrel, which was used as a sheath, and a sleek four foot blade, with a purple grip. She used two different types of ammunition, in labeled magazines. The first, 'Dull', was a simple metal bullet. The second, 'Pretty', was a mix of different types of Dust rounds, all with short-range explosive capabilities.

"I suppose we should be very angry with you, but we'll take that aggression out on Ve and Rou over there." At the confused looks she was receiving, Violette face palmed. Deciding it would take too long to explain everything, she simply pointed at the two sisters and said, "They didn't react when we were told Jaune was leaving soon, so they obviously knew beforehand."

"Oh shit." Verte was stunned, she had forgotten that only Rouille and herself were in on Jaune's plan.

"'Oh shit' indeed, sis. You are going to learn VERY quickly that I don't like being surprised." Violette responded, before looking back at Jaune. Looking him over for a bit, she wondered what she should do next. She knew the story about going to Vale was a lie, because her dad hasn't told anyone about Jaune communicating with them after he left. In fact, he had avoided the subject altogether, which meant Jaune wasn't going to one of the kingdoms. Cerise, seeing her sisters turmoil, and knowing they didn't have long before Jaune had to leave, decided to simplify the situation with a few words.

"Hey Jaune, girls?" She began pleasantly, with an innocent tone, "Dog pile." She finished with a sadistically pleased grin.

"Oh Fu-!" Jaune tried to roll away, but he was too late, and he was buried. It wouldn't have been so bad, but Violette, Cerise, and Rouge were all still wearing armor from their training session, and Verte had jumped on top with Rouille and Chance, who both seemed far too pleased to be slowly killing him.

"Alright, alright, break it up, let Jaune get some air, he needs to be well rested for the trip. Jaune, head up to the house, your grandfather has a going away gift for you. Viol, Cer, Rou, Ve, Ro, come on, we're heading back to our house, your mom made supper." Jules said, returning from wherever he had been waiting before, trying to get his daughters off his son. Nodding to Jaune, he began to walk back to the van, opening the side door to let the girls in.

Jaune took a deep breath as he watched them go, and exhaled in a long, drawn out breath.

_This is it, time to see what's so scary about this stupid hole._ Even though he seemed confident, his hands were shaking and he was nervous. _What could possibly be so dangerous that no one has tried it since my granddad? No, that couldn't be right, my dad said no one since Jean Arc… had come back from the hole. Maybe some people tried and didn't survive._ His breathing was getting quicker, he was beginning to second guess his choice. He nearly jumped when he felt a weight settle on his back, and arms wrap around his neck. Looking up, he could just barely see the tops of two brown rabbit ears, meaning that Chance had jumped on his back.

"Thanks, I needed some help calming down, Chance." Jaune said, reaching up and patting the little bunny girl on her head. Slowly sliding her off of his back, he walked up to Jean's house, striding inside with full confidence, walking into the living room.

"This took me three months to make Jaune. I began it as soon as I learned about your plan to become a huntsman. The fibers are all laced with Dust, and made in a style that I think you'll like." Smiling, Jean slid a cardboard box to his grandson. Looking inside, Jaune found a black sweatshirt with orange inside, laced with a mix of Dust that made a gray color, usually used to reinforce a piece of clothing to withstand a Grimm attack, and as an added bonus, the clothes could knit themselves back together, as long as they don't get torn to literal shreds. Along side his clothes was the quiver he could have sworn was still in his backpack at home.

"Alright Jaune, follow me out to the back yard. The tunnel is in the tool shed." Jean spoke as he headed to the back door, motioning for Jaune to follow him.

"I thought it was supposed to be a hole?" His grandson asked with a slightly confused tone. Quickly throwing on his new hoody and checking to make sure Crocea Mors was on his waist, he put his hand down into a tube on his jean leg, drawing and looking over Fulmen.

"Yes, it's a hole that leads to another place. A tunnel. Your father didn't tell you much about it because he doesn't know what's inside. He chose not to take the test." The withered old man said, opening the door to his shed. Jaune noticed that his grandfather seemed to have aged dramatically just by standing near the opening.

"What test am I going to take? Is this hole the test?" Jaune said, gesturing to the round hole, just big enough to fit a man into.

"Well, it's more of a trial, instead of a test. It's name is the Trial of the Arc, and this hole is the first test. Go on, Jaune. Show me your determination, get in there and prove you deserve to carry the name 'Arc'!" Jean shouted, encouraging Jaune to jump into the hole.

"See you on the other side, grandpa! I'm gonna go kick some aahh!" Jaune shouted as he slipped into the hole.

* * *

**A/N**

**So, how was that? Should I try to make longer chapters? Do you like how the story is going so far? Did I have any spelling errors/inconsistencies?**

**I thrive off your opinions, so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think!**

**Next chapter mi~ght be coming out a little bit quicker than usual, but that's because I feel like writing this week. Of course, I might be lying to you, and the next chapter will never come out, but that's the risk in not having a plan before hand.**

**Speaking of next chapter, who wants to read about Jaune taking the Trial of the Arc? Cause I have no idea what to do next :D**

**Have a nice day!**


	5. Trials Pt1

**A/N**

**Rather than bitch and moan about how many times I've screwed up this chapter, I think I might just scrap the story for a short time, rewriting it to flow better. **

**Think that's a good idea? **

**Do enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Five: Trials Pt.1

While Jaune would never consider himself a scholar, or an expert in any particular subject, he did know quite a few things about the world he lived in. First and foremost, the physical. Dirt could easily fall apart, and thus made a terrible surface to climb vertically. Stone was hard and unforgiving, and certainly not something you want to land on after sliding down an unknown, but very large, distance. There were a few things he didn't know about, though. Such as what material flowed like water, but softly glowed with any mixture of colors he could think of. Moving on to the less physical, more spiritual knowledge. He knew that Aura was, somehow, in some strange way, a manifestation of a soul. It could be as sturdy as metal, but also made of an untouchable energy. A Semblance was a special ability someone gained not only through the molding of your soul, but also through your genetics. Switching focus from the human body to nature itself, a person would be remiss to forget about Dust. A material that was used as a propellant, but could also contain the physical form of the elements. Even further, Dust was used as a weapon itself, supplied in bullets, or stitched into clothing. A person with access to Aura could manipulate the Dust to an extent.

Even with this seemingly vast, (or at least functional) knowledge of his world, Jaune was flabbergasted by the sight before him. His first impression was to name it a ghost, but most ghosts he heard about didn't pick you up off your ass and lead you through a dimly lit passage to a magnificent stone door. Even assuming this was a regular human was wrong, because, even in the low light, he had definitely seen this... man walk directly through said stone door. Chuckling to himself, Jaune decided to believe he was just hallucinating, and tried to leave the cavern through the way he came. Of course, as soon as he turned around, he noticed something very important was missing.

The pathway he had JUST walked through.

Trying not to panic, Jaune began to breathe slower, in an attempt to calm himself. Turning back towards the stone door, he drew his sword and shield. As slowly and quietly as he could, Jaune crept closer to the door, before swallowing his fear and pushing through it. Expecting the door to be heavy and hard to open, he was surprised when the stone simply disappeared, as if it was never there. Consequently, meeting no resistance threw the boy off balance and tumbling into the darkness beyond the doorway. Falling a noticeably shorter distance, he landed on his shield, causing pain to shoot up his forearm. Standing up carefully, Jaune checked over his arm to make sure it wasn't injured too greatly. Trying to look at his surroundings, and only seeing the dark expanse, Jaune began to panic. Stumbling around, he felt the darkness begin to swallow him.

"Are you prepared for the second test, young Arc?" A voice, to his left if Jaune assumed correctly, spoke from the shadows. Using the voice as an anchor, he pulled away from his fears, and stood resolute. Just as he was about to call out, he thought about what the voice said. It was obvious that he would take on the next challenge, if only because there was no other way out of the caves. Replaying the words in his head, he noticed something that peaked his interest.

_If this is the second test, then was the first test simply choosing to follow through with it?_ He thought to himself. Deciding it was a good idea to answer the question, Jaune nodded in the general direction he heard the voice come from, before smacking his own forehead.

"I'm ready to take on the next trial." Although his voice didn't waver, Jaune was still worried. Not being able to see what was around him, he raised his shield in front of himself, preparing to do his best to survive while fighting blind.

"Your trial begins with the answer to my question. How will you survive in this area?" With that said, Jaune felt alone again. Closing his eyes, he thought carefully about what he would need. First on his list was food and water, then warmth, and shelter. It would be nearly impossible to acquire these things without light, or the ability to see in the dark.

_I almost wish I was a faunus, but I don't know if I could handle the treatment._ Thought Jaune, contemplating the situation he had been thrown into. Looking straight up, watching the stars in the sky, he wondered what his sisters were doing. Probably eating a delicious dinner, inside their comfortable house.

...

_I'm in a cave. I came into this cave while the sun was up. What the hell is going on?_ It took a few moments for Jaune to realize that stars in a cave didn't make sense. Looking around himself, Jaune's eyes began to adjust to the darkness. To his left he saw what looked like a slope that led to a flat oval, which he soon recognized to be a pond. If fish lived in that water, then he hopefully wouldn't starve. Looking forward, he saw what he could only describe as underground trees, giant stone structures that, when put near each other formed what looked like a forest. In fact, he could even see... creatures, moving around in the dark. Replacing Crocea Mors into sheath mode at his side, he drew Fulmen to its full sized longbow form with a flick of his wrist.

Taking a knee, he tried to line up his shot with where he assumed the creature's head was. He drew an arrow from his quiver and carefully notching it in an attempt to stay hidden from his prey. Steadying his shot, he pulled back on the arrow.

Completely focused on his target, he almost missed a clacking noise from behind himself. He rolled to the side as a Grimm leaped at him from behind, releasing the drawn arrow. Turning to face the Grimm, he could only see its eyes and bone mask.

Swiping a new arrow from the quiver, he took aim at the most vulnerable place he could find – the eye. Sadly, the Grimm did not just stand idle, and charged towards Jaune. Letting the shot go, the knightly archer jumped backwards, preparing to run in case he missed. Luckily for him, the arrow struck home in the Grimm mask, directly into one of the eye-holes. He watched carefully as the creature dissolved, waiting silent and warily, guaranteeing there were no others preparing to attack him.

Replacing Fulmen in its sheath, Jaune made his way to the water. He stared at the surface, trying to see any movement, but other than the occasional ripple, he could see nothing. He decided to sit down, focusing on anything he could to find food.

_Whatever I do, I can't afford to panic. There has to be a way to get food._ Jaune tried to think of ways to get the fish that must live in the water, making designs for different traps. He hand no string other than Fulmen's, and there was no way he'd do anything to lower his combat abilities. There went any idea involving a net or fishing rod.

C'mon, there's gotta be another way of doing this. _I wish I had a spear, it would be a piece of cake to stab and pierce a fish._ Looking back over his items, he got an idea, and wanted to test it. Grabbing another arrow from his quiver, he checked the condition it was in. Sharp and sturdy, the arrow would be perfect for the job. It was only as he was turning back to the water that he realized he still couldn't **see** the fish.

Tired of finding new things to try, then having the entire idea beaten by a new obstacle, Jaune sat down to meditate. His situation had gone from mildly intimidating to absolutely terrifying within the span of what he could only assume was an afternoon. Maybe some self reflection could help? Or, it could, if his 'self' wasn't sitting in front of a group of blue...

_No way. No freaking way_. Just to test his latest theory, Jaune moved to put his hand into the water. Unfortunately, his focus was broken when he went to move, but that was okay by him, he could just try again. Trying to reenter the mindset he had when he saw the blue shapes, he closed his eyes and focused. He could almost see them, fuzzy little dots of light wiggling while suspended.

Watching the pattern the fish moved in, as he felt safe enough to declare the shapes fish, he noticed the large circles they swam in. Circles just large enough to come up near the shore. Lancing out with an arrow, he felt the tip pierce the fish. Drawing it out of the water, Jaune felt immensely proud of himself, until he realized something vital he hadn't yet planned on.

_How am I supposed to cook this?_

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey, didja miss me? **

**No?**

**Well I missed me, and that's all that matters here. **

**Self gratification aside, I sincerely apologize for how short this chapter is compared to others, but I needed to get it out soon, its just been... **_**staring**_ **at me, with its accusing blank space...**


	6. Trials Pt2

**A/N**

**Well it's been awhile sorry about how long it took, I'm just really lazy.**

**I suppose I should stop apologizing and just get to the point: I may or may not decide to revamp the story, but until then this will be the last chapter of "A Champion Arc".**

**I just want to let you all know that I will be posting other stories when I get the time. And motivation.**

**I just need to find a way to make myself work more. **

**Even right now, I'm talking to my phone, looking like a bloody idiot, just because I can't find it in myself to sit down and type.**

**I'll just go ahead and get on to the story.**

**Do enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Test of Survival Pt.2

**Cavern**

In hindsight, Jaune really regretted not bringing essential survival items, such as ANYTHING THAT COULD MAKE FIRE.

Of course, if he had done such a thing, he would never have learned the joy of accidentally smearing blue goo all over his sword, a byproduct of channeling your impotent rage into an equally ineffective action. Those poor rocks were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Or right place if you want to be optimistic about it.

Cons: A sword slashing on rocks doesn't create sparks, not that there was anything flammable nearby. And it made Jaune fairly tired.

Pros: Damn if that isn't a really good way to release some pent up aggression.

Now all he needed to do was scrape this glowing rock-gunk off of his sword and figure out how to make fire. Maybe this glowing blue mess on the end of his blade was a type of moss? Even if it was, he would need to dry it out before he could light it on fire, and who knew how long that would take, maybe days or weeks? In any case, it didn't do him any good while it was covering Crocea's blade. But just as he was about to touch the strange, slimy-looking substance, he had a stray thought that quickly led him to be concerned. With how much noise he had been making, was there a chance that he had alerted any nearby Grimm?

***growl***

That would be a resounding yes. And to think, he only had to fight one Grimm within the current day - maybe hour? - and he was really enjoying not worrying about anything. Well, anything other than his lack of food, inability to see, and general lack of survival training.

Abandoning that particularly depressing line of thinking, Jaune decides to hop onto a more important, if equally depressing, train of thought; how to go about beating an opponent he can't see. First of all, he needed to work out where the beast was coming from, followed by how he would attack it. Far easier said than done. Looking left and right, he realized that he could just barely make out the shapes of nearby structures, one of which seemed to be getting larger.

And growling.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath.

Quickly drawing the shield form of his sheath and bringing it in front of himself, he glanced to his sides, attention split between carefully observing the frighteningly tall creature in front of him and anxiously hunting for cover he could use to his advantage. Unfortunately, most of the rocks were too small for him to hide behind. Running out of rocks and time, Jaune looks back at the Grimm and notices something important: the monster doesn't have any bone-armor. Perhaps it was some form of evolution? It _was_ harder to see a Grimm without its bone-like armor.

Taking a new stance, Jaune hastily makes a plan while paying close attention to the speed of the Grimm. Dropping to one knee at the last second, he drags Crocea's blade across its midriff, successfully bisecting the creature.

Expecting to hear a muffled thud, he was greatly startled by the loud shattering noise. He spun around with his shield ready, only to see nothing, not even a hint of what could have made such a sound.

_Okay, definitely need sleep, food, fire, shelter-_

***growl***

_\- and company that doesn't want me to die._

Leaning against a nearby pillar, Jaune tried to pick out which sounds were echos and which sounds meant death was near. Whose death? Only time would decide. And that faint, raspy noise in front of him. Dropping low to avoid death by decapitation, he kicked off the pillar and rolled forward, spinning into a wide stance with his shield ready to face… Nothing?

Well, not necessarily _nothing_, just an absence of deadly creature. There was, however, a giant ice sculpture made to an exact likeness of the Grimm. Sliding his hand across the ice caused it to shatter into tiny, twinkling pieces. Not a trace of his attacker remained, other than the hole in the stone that was leaking more blue goo. He made a quick mental note to never touch the goo, and thanked any deity he could that he didn't get to scrape it off his sword. Glancing at the nearby pillars and cracked surfaces, Jaune came to a startling revelation!

He was glowing! Not even the smiling, 'life is great, I just woke up' kind, either. He was _actually glowing_. A faint white shine was coming of of his everything, from his hair to his shoes! Which, now that he thought about it, was kind of weird. Did this mean his semblance going to be the ability to glow? Because that would seriously suck!

Hearing more skittering claws and howling monsters in the cavern, He set off to find a hiding place. Admittedly this wasn't his first plan, but he couldn't just stand and fight everything that came by. Eventually he would become tired or something might get a lucky hit on him, and then he would be dead! Climbing the pillar he was leaning against, he found a convenient flat shelf that he could just barely stand on. Now he just needed to stop glowing so that he wouldn't be a beacon to the Grimm. Problem is, he doesn't know how he _started_ glowing. It happened sometime before his second fight, but he couldn't remember anything happening that might have activated his human night-light powers. As far as he knew, there wasn't some magic switch on his body to turn it off, so maybe he could just will himself to be dark?

Looking around, Jaune couldn't see anything anymore, causing him to panic. Nearly falling off the ledge, he closed his eyes and took some calming breaths. while his eyes were closed, he focused more on what he could hear. Something was close, most likely a Grimm that wanted nothing more than a living meal. He couldn't let himself worry about that though. No seriously, Grimm are born from negative thoughts or something like that, he read so in a book!

He could almost tell exactly where the Grimm was below him, and he didn't notice any signs of other Grimm nearby, so he decided to try something crazy. Leaping off the pillar, he drew his sword and aimed for where he believed the Grimm to be. Feeling the sword stick deeply into something soft, Jaune allowed himself a bit of pride as he hacked at the Grimm in front of him. Upon killing the Grimm, he felt a sense of great satisfaction - after all, his third kill and he had done it with his eyes closed!

Wandering back to the pond, Jaune willed himself to glow again, but this time even brighter. He could almost see into the water, where his future meals swam in pointless, endless circles. Now he just needed shelter and fire, somewhere to sleep would be nice, but he definitely needed something to eat first. Leaning against some rocks near the edge of the pond, he relaxed into a meditative state to make a plan. He noticed something that was definitely different than the last time he did this. He could _feel_ the rocks, some were hot, and others could be cold, or sturdy, or any combination of these feelings. Running off a hunch, he stood up and swung his sword at one of the cold rocks. After cutting through the stone, he could see the blue goo inside of it. That didn't prove anything, however, as it could have just been a fluke. Moving on to a sturdy rock, he swung at it, only for his sword to barely even scratch the surface! Continuing his swings led to a noticeable cut, but it took time and energy. Useful knowledge, no doubting that, but there were more pressing matters to get to. Walking up to the last rock with no small amount of excitement, he slashed his way to the goo inside the hot rocks. Red, such a suddenly beautiful color. Red for sunsets, strawberries, and, most importantly, _fire_!

Drawing out a small glob with the edge of his sword, he looked for something to put it on. His excitement soon died out when he realized the only burnable things where himself and his clothes. Maybe, if starting a fire was out of the question, he could just put it directly onto the fish? Grabbing the previously discarded fish, he dropped the goo onto it, and in a quick flash of fire and smoke, burnt the fish.

_Okay then, let's see… maybe if I use a smaller amount? Or maybe the blade is still hot?_ Quickly testing his thoughts, Jaune reached out to touch the edge of his sword where the goo had been sitting, and even before his hand could make contact, he felt the heat coming wafting around it. Carefully setting his sword down, he used his arrow to spear another fish. Holding the fish over the apparently extremely hot blade cooked the fish steadily, much to Jaune's appreciation. While his fish was cooking, he rearranged some loose sturdy rocks against a pillar to give himself a pseudo-alcove.

Since the alcove was made out of large, but ultimately _loose_, stones, Jaune needed a way to make it more secure. He had a genius idea on how to do it, too. Caking red goo all over the outside of the rocks with his sword, he then smeared blue goo all over his shield and pressed it against the red goo slowly. After all, how else did this cavern form with goo-filled rocks if not for the types of goo interacting with each other being the cause of it? Sure enough, the red and blue goo mixtures quickly hardened into the gaps in the stones, making a solid wall that would help protect and hide Jaune when he needed to sleep. Which, as he laid down in his alcove, seemed like a wonderful idea.

* * *

**A/N**

**Spelling mistakes? Plot holes? Ideas for where the story should go? Compliments towards the story(or myself ;))? Review please, I'm begging now!**

**I've got somewhat of an idea for what will happen next, but… well. **


	7. Thrive Pt1

**A/N**

**I started this right after posting the last chapter!**

**Eat it, poor work ethic! Mobile upload FTW!**

**Oh, almost forgot!**

**Do enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Thrive

**Cavern, Jaune's Alcove**

A tall, cloaked figure stood in the entrance of the rocky structure that Jaune slept in. It was far too dark to see any defining features, but the voice that spoke from the cloak was definitely male. It was also especially condescending.

"You'd think someone would want to be a light sleeper when they sleep in Grimm infested darkness, especially after being here for a month or so. Yet here you are, sleeping like a rock." He said to the sleeping boy.

The voice alone would have been enough to wake Jaune up normally, but he was suffering from an acute overuse of Aura, not that he could tell in his deep slumber. As they say, 'patience is a virtue', so the figure sat down by the pond.

"I've got to say, that last fight was pretty astounding. It isn't a simple thing to fight two Grimm at once, especially the nightwalkers. Glad to see you seem to be doing well, kid. I suppose I'll go before you wake up, I'm rooting for you, boy."

As he stood up to leave, he felt cold steel against his neck and heat crawling up his back. Standing behind him, sword drawn and ready to decapitate, was Jaune. The cloaked man chuckled, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. Jaune spoke up with a slight cough.

"Glad to see I have a fan, although, I don't quite remember anyone else coming down here with me. If you would, please, I have a few questions." He said.

"Well, look who got stealthy. Ask away, I'll answer what I can." The man replied.

"How long have you been here? Are we the only ones down here? How long have you been following me?"

"In order? I do not know, time is a... vague concept here. You, me, and the Grimm are the only living beings down here. I've been following you since you got here, who do you think led you here?"

"Are you a ghost? What weapons do you have on you? Who are you?"

"All very good questions, if a bit strange. I am not a ghost, nor do I believe they are real. I have a dagger in this old cloak, but I fight better without it. You learn quite a few things about fighting the Grimm when you grow up surrounded by them."

Jaune decided to save that information for later. He realized the man was just humoring him by standing still, and Jaune already had a general idea of what the man's semblance was. To be fair, it was a toss up between impervious defense or some way to become intangible. It might have been teleportation, but he was reasonably sure it wasn't. He went to reiterate his last question, but knew the man would just avoid it again.

"One final question, then. Why are you here?"

"To start the next test, of course. Although, I think you might not like this very much." The man replied ominously.

"And why might that be?"

"Well, I plan on making you a killing machine, of course. Grimm killing, that is. I prefer teaching hands on though, so try not to die when we get there."

Jaune felt confident that the man wouldn't be threatening, and lowered his shield after scraping off the goo, allowing the man to spin around. Jaune was a little off put by the man's cheerful attitude, but something he said didn't add up.

"What did you mean by-**woah!**"

As he began to ask, he was unsuspectedly shoved into... a bag?

"Hey! What the hell!?"

"Shut up, I can't let you see how we're going to get to where we'll be staying. Wouldn't want you to try to run off without supervision!"

With a hop in his step, he marched off to the hidden exit for the cavern, easily lugging the boy in the bag. That's not to say the boy in question was having an easy time of it, having been flipped upside-down when the bag was picked up. He squirmed into a semi-sitting position, and took calming breaths to settle his stomach.

"Any particular reason you think I'd run away?"

"We're going to my house. On the surface."

_Well shit. I guess I would be tempted to run, but I doubt I'd make it very far._ While the man might not act like it, he was definitely skilled, and that didn't bode well for Jaune's chances at escaping. He did have one last question, though.

"What should I call you?"

"... Seul"

* * *

**Seul's Cottage**

It was an understandably small, undecorated building. It couldn't have more than two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The field behind the building was another story. Shredded wooden posts, some of which were broken in half. Gouges littered all throughout the dirt, most likely from Grimm. Targets resembling swiss cheese hung from poles, which were placed varying distances from what looked like a makeshift wall of dirt and wood. All in all, it was a spartan home surrounded by a veritable war zone.

Dropping the bag holding Jaune onto the ground, Seul walked up to the front door and gave his new student a quick piece of advice.

"Find a safe place before nightfall, beowolves hunt in packs."

And with that, he slammed the door shut, most likely locking it as well. Leaving Jaune outside to fend for himself. The knight glanced around quickly, looking for a place to hide for the night. It was hard for him to keep focused, he just wanted to lean against the trees and enjoy the sunset while he could.

_... Oh no, sunset!_ Realizing he didn't have much time till the Grimm came out, he searched frantically for somewhere safe. Jumping up and climbing a tree would be okay until one of them sniffed him out, which reminded him to ask for a shower asap. Hiding inside of a hollow tree would lead to the same result.

He could try to stand his ground near the training area, but he had no idea how many Grimm were coming. With nowhere to hide, and most of the field being open space, the wreckage of the training area was looking more and more promising. He decided to pile up some of the nearby posts to make a sort-of fort.

Glancing toward the setting sun, Jaune closed his eyes and listened for any out of place sounds, such as a howl, or padded feet running across stone. It was difficult for Jaune to hear anything past the cool wind and creaking wood of his current shelter.

So he rolled backwards out of his shelter.

Which was soon shredded by an Alpha Beowolf.

* * *

**A/N**

**I don't mean to get your hopes up with this post, but I couldn't stop myself from writing it!**

**I'm still seriously considering taking this down to redo it, but it's ultimately up to you guys. :P**

**Review, if you would please?**


	8. Thrive Pt2

**A/N**

**So. How is everyone today?**

**I've been absent for quite awhile, mostly because of work, partly because of my poor work ethic.**

**As fun as it is to write, and track the stats for my story, It just doesn't seem to keep my attention anymore.**

**That, and I have to use my laptop to update.**

**Do enjoy. **

* * *

Chapter Eight: Thrive Pt. 2

**Inside Seul's House**

"What the hell were you thinking!?"

"I could've handled it. There were only like six of them."

"Six?! You were surrounded! They were behind you and on either side of you _en masse_. You were toast!"

_Well he has a point there._ Jaune thought to himself. Just minutes before, he was going to become Grimm chow. As it turns out, experienced Grimm, the alpha species, had armor covering most of their bodies. Like the head, and back, and sides. Which he had found out the _really_ hard way.

He still killed the Alpha, but he should have probably been paying more attention to his surroundings. At least then, he might've actually seen some of the monsters that encircled him. Not that they would have caught their meal completely off-guard, but one or two swipes were bound to get past his shield, and then he'd be dead.

Super dead.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect the whole 'fort' idea, but wood isn't really a match for fighting these beasts."

Now that Seul had him in the house, he would never hear the end of it. He was getting lectured about every little thing he had done wrong, all the way down to how he messed up his stance. Not that the lectures themselves were bad, he actually found himself learning far more than he'd care to admit from them. Such glorious bits such as beowolf attack patterns, weaknesses, blind spots, and even how to tell if they were experienced.

All things considered, Jaune felt ready to move away from the subject of how poorly he did, and instead focus on training himself to do better. He understood that patience was a virtue and all that, but there was a point when being patient and attentive turned into mindlessly staring at the person speaking.

***Whap***

Which was soon solved by a leather covered fist smashing into his face.

"Ow fuck! What was that for!? I think you just broke my nose!" Activating his (better name pending) white-glowy-mode, he began to heal his newest injury. While in the underground hell-hole, he learned that he fought better cloaked in his own light, and could even heal faster.

He really needed a new name for it though.

"Since you weren't paying attention last time I asked, I'll say it again; Do you-"

"Want first shower? I'm up for it. I'll cook, as well."

"Huh. So you were listening to me. Well, get it done, then. I still need to wash up as well, so don't even think about using up the hot water."

With a dismissive gesture in his new teacher's general direction, Jaune made a beeline for where he assumed the bathroom was. Walking into a fairly spacious, if a tad bit simple, bathroom, Jaune quickly disrobed and jumped into the shower. The ice cold shower.

**"**_**Gah!**_**"**

Moving quickly, he washed the dirt, sweat, and stink off himself, before leaping out of the freezing nightmare. Turning to a cupboard door he had seen when he came in, Jaune pulled an especially fluffy towel from it. Starting with his hair, he stopped suddenly when the towel began growling at him.

Twas in fact a dog! Or rather...

_...A beowolf?_ Later Jaune would reminisce on his life, telling young children about his upbringing. Without fail, he would always _forget_ to mention the part where he screamed loud enough to startle any nearby Grimm. At the moment, however, he was more preoccupied with not being attacked by a creature one fifth his size.

Grabbing a towel, he burst through the door leading to the entryway, only to be clothes-lined by Seul. At full speed, while leaning into his run. After a nearly full rotation, he slammed into the ground.

"Don't sneak up on me, it's not safe for either of us. Oh, and you are definitely going to replace the door to the bathroom. Now what's got you so freaked out that you would leave the bathroom with a hand towel?"

"Grab towel-not towel-white Grimm!"

Seul's calmly delivered statements and follow up question were responded in a timely manner by the most efficiently, eloquently spat, six word sentence. That didn't mean he needed Jaune to say anything, he had already made an educated guess on what happened to the unfortunate boy.

"So you found Twitch, yeah? He's a loyal little bugger, but he sleeps in such strange places..."

"So, it's not a bad Grimm? Isn't that, I don't know, _impossible?_"

"Who ever said _he_ was a Grimm? Maybe he's just a dog with albinism."

Somehow, Jaune doubted that was the case. However, in an attempt to preserve his sanity, he pressed on with a different line of questions.

"Is he allowed to roam the house? I don't want to wake up without an arm or something..."

"Would you rather sleep outside? I've heard that beowolves are particularly cuddly this time of year."

When he didn't get a response, Seul looked over to see Jaune going back to the bathroom for a towel. The situation, if there was one in the first place, had been resolved. It could be assumed Seul won the argument, but he wasn't about to let assumptions get in the way of victory. It helped that he didn't care all that much about Jaune's self esteem.

"Try not to scream too much when you wake up tomorrow, he gets extra aggressive when he panics!"

With that final shot at Jaune, Seul turned and walked away, not noticing the way Jaune seemed to flinch and move with a noticeable sense of urgency.

* * *

**Seul's Training Grounds**

Jaune learned quite a few lessons within minutes of being awoken on his first day at Seul's Cottage.

Lesson one was fairly easy to understand. Do **not** sleep in. If you don't wake up early, Twitch is going to wake you up. When you see an animal that has a resemblance to the most feared creatures you know, it's a little bit scary. When when you wake up to that animal bouncing from you, to the wall, and back, all whilst growling _very_ audibly, it's downright heart stopping.

Lesson two, a bit more of an actual lesson, no opponent is going to wait for you to get ready, unless of course they were very sure of their victory. Jaune learned this lesson by double checking his grip on his sword, before looking up into a bare knuckle punch.

Lesson three and four, Jaune's least favorite lessons by far, were to be ready to fight against any opponent at any time, and always prepare for deceit. Too busy fighting an asshole who sucker-punched you in the teeth, and you might miss out on the half-ton Ursa charging behind you. Spin around in a panic, shield and arm barely prepared to defend you against a large claw, and you won't be ready for the pint sized 'dog' that tries to take a chunk out of your thigh.

The final lesson, number five, was that no defense was unbeatable. There will always be a way to get around someone's defense, natural or otherwise. Take Jaune's own shield as an example. Good against a linear attack, but it would require a lot of skill and training to be effective at anything else. Now move on to something a little more flexible, like gauntlets and bracers, and you'll notice a lack of rigidity. Someone fully equipped with plate armor would be good against predictable attacks and blunt weapons, but use dust or sharp weapons, and that suit of armor becomes more of a hindrance.

All of these very important, useful, and informative lessons, and Jaune just couldn't feel grateful to his teacher. Probably because of the blood and bruises, or the infuriating chuckle that preceded each new lesson.

An hour into the grueling battle and Seul decided to end the only way he knew how. **Decisively**.

Up until this moment, he had been fighting with just his bare hands, aggressively assaulting any weaknesses he could. He was trying to get his student to be quicker with his defense, and to observe how his shield was limited in certain situations. A fair example would be a fast opponent feigning a shot at the face, but instead attacking the legs. Jaune was learning much faster than Seul could ever have predicted, but he would still need much more time and training to stand against anyone or anything that outclassed him in speed.

That all being said, Seul finished by slamming a full force kick into Jaune's... shield?

"You learn faster than I thought you did, but that doesn't matter too much right now, it's time to take a break."

As if those last few words were an enchanting spell, Jaune slumped over against the nearest training post, trying to recover as much strength as he could just to stand up again.

All things considered, he was pretty excited to train like this, as he could actually feel himself improving. He moved faster than when he was home, though he still dearly missed his family.

While Jaune was staring off into the woods, Seul was planning the rest of the boys training for the day, and then the month, maybe even the season. Truthfully, there were only two tests for the trial, which were to survive, and to thrive. But there were minor tests along the way, to guarantee that no Arc was let out into Remnant unprepared. It would be foolish to allow travel to anyone who can't gather resources, or assess their own situation. Likewise, anyone who couldn't stand and face the Grimm would be best left in another career.

Jaune had passed his first test with startling ease, as all he was required to do was notice anything disturbing his campsite. Instead, he had woken up while Seul was there, and had enough of a mind to stay quiet and make a plan.

The first challenge of the second test is to analyze the terrain, and subsequently prepare for the equivalent of an army to charge in. The idea behind the second test is to be comfortable. Whether you fight hard enough to make time to relax, or you make a home, or you lose your mind, all you need to do is be confident in your survival. It was easy for those born with instinct and cunning, not quite as such for anyone arrogant or cowardly. The remaining challenges are only in place to guarantee that the challenger will be well prepared for their future.

It isn't something simply graded, you can't just suddenly become top dog in this world, and nobody will listen to you if you talk about how great you are. It's something implied, something that can be assumed after a very close observation.

Jaune arc was well on his way to becoming a true huntsman, and an amazing human being. But that is then, this is now, and right now, Jaune is trying to recover from extreme boredom while distracting himself from his family. By juggling a few palm sized rocks.

This was promising to be a long, educational experience.

* * *

**Jaune's Room, Seul's Home**

"Alright boy, two options; get up now, and I won't get mad, or, and I feel the need to stress this one, _piss me off._ No, really. _Make my fucking morning._"

Jaune's response was rolling away from him and attempting to get some more sleep. In his defense, Jaune's slumber always seemed to be interrupted by every little noise that he could possibly hear. Sometimes he woke up because he could feel something watching him from the shadows, luckily the shadows usually thinned enough for twitch's fur to stand out. Knowing this, most normal, merciful, people would find his current attitude appropriate.

Incidentally, Seul doesn't quite understand the word 'normal', and he believes one should only show mercy in specific situations. This particular case was solved with a clean, efficient throw. The object being thrown? Why, Jaune of course. What better way to take the piss out of someone than by making them do it themselves? Of course, Seul didn't want to clean blood out of his carpet anytime soon, so he aimed at a conveniently open window.

Jaune, surprisingly, didn't appreciate the amount of focus, strength, and skill that led to a perfect toss through a window. Immediately taking a defensive stance, he kept his eyes roaming the house, focusing mostly on the front door, but ready in case Seul decided to go out the back door.

He remembered just a split second too late that his window had been open. Attempting to roll to his left, he felt a foot bury itself in his gut, actually causing him to fly a few feet away. Tumbling into a training post, he had just enough time to bring his arms up into a loose guard as Seul's fist flew towards him. Knowing he was in for a serious beat down, Jaune kicked out at his mentor while swinging himself around the back of the post. Cowardly? Maybe, but he needed the time to think and breathe. In the short moments he had behind the post, the blond came up with a (seemingly) genius plan.

Jumping onto the man sized post, Jaune prepared to dive-tackle his teacher/tormentor. Unfortunately, he miscalculated a slight bit before he lept, missing a surprised Seul by inches.

And face-planting into what he could only hope was mud. Suspiciously shit-smelling mud. With corn in it. Feeling Seul's amused gaze rake over him, Jaune felt like being a little reckless. Carefully scooping the turd while he pretended to get up slowly, Jaune rolled quickly, throwing the messy chunk right as he felt was the best time. Of course, Seul had been preparing to help Jaune up, so he had not expected the projectile poop. Jaune's danger sense went haywire for a full second, about the same amount of time it took for Seul to register the awful assault.

* * *

Never underestimate an angry old person.

This was Jaune's new motto, after being swiftly dismantled in an exceedingly painful way. He was still feeling aches from that fight, even though another week had passed. Seul had become the task manager from hell, sending him through rigorous training, only broken up by meal breaks, where in Jaune was fed a nutrient mash (which was suspiciously gray), followed by nearly debilitating spars, when Jaune learned many new things, chief of which was that if Seul hadn't specifically ended the spar verbally, it was best to stay on guard at all times. Jaune soaked up the training just fine, but if he didn't get any more time to relax and unwind, he was very likely going to absolutely lose his mind.

It wasn't so much that he couldn't handle the schedule, but it was quite lonely in the cottage. He often found himself wondering about his family, specifically how his sisters were handling his absence. Hopefully Chance wasn't feeling lonely without him.

Turning to face the training area, Jaune left the house for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, already missing the comfort of a home to be inside. Coming up to a clearing surrounded by wood and stone, he removed everything but his pants, having learned that fighting with anything more would result in too many tears to repair. Feeling his nightlight glow surrounding him again, he mentally prepared himself for the upcoming battle.

Seul had claimed it was part of the test, one of the final bits, to be exact. A testament to how far the participant needed to go before the trials would be completed. It was no simple task, no matter how straightforward it seemed. When Jaune had been told of this test, he was highly skeptical, believing it to be a joke of poor taste. He wondered if it was too late to apologize for the poop incident. Seul had taken an almost sadistic glee as Jaune realized the severity of what he hoped was the final test.

Jaune would fight a Grimm, one on one, with 'only his own soul as his weapon and shield', whatever that meant. Of course, Jaune was going to fight in his white energy cloak, rules be damned.

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**A/N**

**This is a shock to my system, typing all of this. I hope you like it, I'm really trying not to abandon it. I might set this one on hiatus though. Not that it would be any different than how long it takes me to update now.**

**I'm sorry, it's just, too little motivation. Oh well, I'll figure something out. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. **

**Have a nice day! **


	9. A Cut Above

**A/N**

**Wassup party people? I'm really tired, I just wanna sleep… well, maybe a few more words… **

**Looks like a few people like this story, which makes me uncomfortably happy. Seriously, I need to sleep, but it brings a smile to my face whenever I look at the stats!**

**So, I wrote a new chapter for, well, this story, of course. It took awhile, and I'm pretty out of it, so prepare for quite possibly the worst chapter I've ever written. Oh, and**

**Do enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: A Cut Above

**Combat Ring, Seul's Home**

Fighting the Grimm was always a frightening activity to think about when you lived in the cities. The beasts seemed so large and fearsome, driven only by their hunger to destroy. That a Grimm would be able to strike such sharp fear into so many people with ease isn't surprising, but the many diverse ways people react to that feeling could easily be. A man, defending his family, could be far more vicious than the monster he faced, ripping and tearing just as easy as the clawed nightmare, showing no hesitation in a situation that might have costed the lives of hundreds before. In that same vein, he could form a plan with what materials might be lying around that would keep his loved ones safe, keeping himself and others away from the danger. Sadly, just as many a man would sooner lose himself to such fear, fleeing for their own safety long before sparing a thought to friends or family.

Thankfully, not even the smallest, most secluded villages were completely unprepared for Grimm attacks, and often sought ways to test the mettle of their people. One such method, passed down through Generations of the Arc Family, was used as a right of passage for all of its warriors. Using only the skills they honed from life, they would try to survive against the nearest Grimm. Often, the child would last maybe four minutes before someone decided to help, but the observers would never allow grave harm to come to their charges. This method, obviously very brutal and risky for even the most prodigious students, was terribly effective at what it was meant to do.

Many people thought the test was for courage, or stupidity, maybe even as a show to entertain the depraved, but the Arc's idea was far more complex. The challenge faced in the test revealed the potential of any candidates participating. It presented their mental state, whether they feared the Grimm more than courage could conquer, or showed any early signs of a deepening insanity. The individual's strength similarly showed through how they fought against the beast. A tough but slow child might wait out the battle, weakening the Grimm bit by bit, while an agile contender would prefer a fast paced, decisive battle.

No matter what the test was for, how it was graded, or even what the members of each society thought of it, nearly every civilization used this it in some form. Even training Academies such as Beacon used a variation of the test. As such, the event was usually accepted as a standard way to measure the effectiveness and mentality of anyone living in Remnant.

_Within reason._

As Seul watched his charge jump, roll, and plan with startling efficiency, all while remaining calm, not an easy feat facing off against a beowolf, he found himself remembering the few unspoken, but generally accepted rules added to the test over the years.

No child younger than 18 would be allowed to fight unarmed, as in without at the very least a stick.

No match may be engaged with fewer than three judges.

And most importantly, no participants were to be entered without the minimum of knowledge regarding Aura.

All of which, Seul had broken by allowing this test. The boy was unarmed, fighting a beast twice his size, with only Seul himself as a judge, all while being woefully ignorant of the Aura his body was cloaked with. It was laughable, in most circles, as most people would suspect you were pulling their leg. However, it was horrendous in circles that believed you, or knew of the event. What kind of cruel taskmaster would throw such a vile creature at a practically unarmed child? An Arc would, but that was usually done in secret, far away from prying eyes and nosy people.

It did not matter in any case, as Jaune seemed perfectly content to ace every important factor of this test. He showed no fear, whether he harbored any or not. Not a single piece of the situation escaped his attention, not the Grimm, the rocks, or even the ring of trees. The Grimm had so far not come near him, not without effort, mind you.

It was beautiful, in a way, watching a human with only his own soul fight off one of the monsters born of negativity. It would not be too far of a stretch to claim that the battle of Grimm and mankind was poetic, if not for the tragedies that befell the world. Truly, the Grimm were treated as a lesser threat, something to be acknowledged, but not holding the main focus. No, mankind's greatest enemy, the one it had fought with long before the Grimm, was itself. Day by day, thieves and terrorist organizations grew and slew, causing panic and pain to the cities they lived in. It was a hopeless endeavour to kill your fellow man, as no one would be able to stand beside you when hell rained from above and the demons rose up around you.

Ah, but he was losing his train of thought again, damn his age and lifestyle. Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to return home, but that was a thought best held later, in peace, far away from the death cries of a beowolf.

Wait.

Observing the large furry mound covered in bones twitching on the ground, Seul decided he would need a second to recuperate before trying to understand what had just occurred in front of him. He saw his student approaching tentatively, as if he had committed a heinous crime.

"Seul, I beat the beow-" Jaune began, winded after this particular ordeal. It seemed his mentor was having a bit of a crisis, so he had taken the initiative to let Seul know of the corpse lying within the ring.

"Yes, I see the Grimm." Seul hurriedly interrupted the boy, deciding to congratulate Jaune later, when both had bathed and overcome their thoughts on this event. Waving his hand in dismissal, Seul sent Jaune on his way to shower and prepare for dinner. It would be awhile before Seul himself was able to gather his thoughts.

* * *

**Combat Ring, Jaune**

Fighting a beowolf isn't exactly a difficult task for any hunter, aspiring student, or even well trained civilian. At least, that's what Jaune remembered reading in one of his books, along with a few places on the beast that were thinner and weaker than the rest. Most of these were useless for this fight, as they all required, at the very least, a pointy object. Squaring off against a Grimm is difficult, to say the least, as Grimm don't wait for you to be ready before attacking you.

Ducking under an opening swing that was both simple and rather slow, Jaune went over a couple of ideas he came up with on the way to his fight. The first idea was to be quick and precise, and was tossed out as soon as he saw the claws and mask. Slow and methodical was next, but far too dangerous against this particular Grimm. If he could get a few hits on the beast's legs, he might be able to slow it down, from there it would be much easier to take the beast down. Having a general idea of what he wanted to do, but no concrete way of getting started, Jaune set himself into an easy rhythm to buy time.

Taking another look around the ring, he saw a few displaced rocks that were practically _begging_ for a large rabid beast to slip and stumble on. That would be perfect for opening the Beowolf up for some very powerful blows. Goading the Grimm into taking a wide, telegraphed swing, Jaune braced himself on the inside of its guard, steering it towards the stones, and almost losing his head when the Beowolf twisted its head to the side to take a bite.

Maneuvering the beowolf to stand on the loose rocks was easy, but making it slip was proving to be difficult. The monster had an unnatural sort of grace, swinging and biting and twisting, all while balancing on rocks in a way that would baffle gymnasts. Jaune, feeling impatient, took the initiative and stepped towards the beast, feinting with a kick that swung noticeably wide, an attack that most sentient beings might ignore.

Most.

The beowolf, being rather young and foolish, lunged for the leg, Jaws ready to clamp on the stupid humans leg. It had almost managed to get it's mouth on the boy's leg, when Jaune jabbed his fist into its bulky neck. Normally, this would be a pointless act, because the Grimm would ignore the attack. However, two things changed the situation in Jaune's favor. The first being the rocks under the creature's feet finally, mercifully, giving out, stealing the balance away from the large bodied monster. The second being that Jaune coated his fist with Aura, causing a sort of flat wall to impact the Grimm's neck.

Capitalising on his opponents lost balance, Jaune picked up a stone and swung down for the creature's head. At the last second, the beowolf rolled onto its side, quickly rising back to full height to tower over Jaune. Having already overextended himself for this attack, he rolled with the momentum, feeling the air be displaced behind his head. Thinking quickly, he turned and threw the rock at the monster before diving for a large stick near the edge of the ring. Spinning himself around with haste, Jaune swore he saw his life pass before his eyes, helpless to fight against the huge teeth prepared to tear his head from his shoulders. As the Grimm finally readied itself for the meal, it felt an odd sensation coming from its chest. Of course, a simple glance revealed a sturdy stick buried deep inside.

Thus the Grimm knew no more.

* * *

**Kitchen**

Jaune did not fancy himself as a very social man, but he was quickly getting tired of the silence clogging the atmosphere in the kitchen. Perhaps he _had_ done something wrong? Was the Grimm supposed to be kept alive? After the abrupt dismissal, he was worried about his mentor's opinion. They had barely eaten anything piled on their plates, not that he completely trusted spaghetti made in the middle of the woods. Seeing Seul putting down his utensils, Jaune followed suit.

"Jaune, I just want you to know, that it was wonderful having you stay out here, and I am very proud of what you've shown me, but the end of your trial is drawing near. There is only one more thing I can think to test you on, but I shall save that for tomorrow. Get plenty of rest, you'll need it." With his speech out of the way, Seul excused himself from the table, turning in early for the night.

As Jaune lay down that night, he could almost see and hear his sisters fussing about, while Chance sat in a chair to read, all under the supervision of his father. It brought a smile to his face, thinking of his family. One day, he'd go out into the world, maybe make a name for himself. He hoped to settle down in a small town, have a smaller, more manageable family.

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**A/N**

**So? Good, bad, or unreadable? If you see any blatant mistakes, please let me know, I'll work on them as soon as I can!**

**Not much for me to say, other than I hope you liked the chapter, and I have no idea what I'm doing. **

**Yayyy.**

**Oh, and review, if you could, please.**

**I'll sell myself for your opinion.**

**Please.**


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